Our Place
by captainharsya23
Summary: Where Katsuki goes, Izuku follows. What Katsuki told him to do, Izuku will do without a hint of doubt in every move he made. So when Katsuki promised him that he will lead the two of them to their place, to the top of the world, Izuku promised that he would take down everything that stands in Katsuki's way to realize his dream.


**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN MY HERO ACADEMIA.**

**Before moving on to the story, some things to note:**

**\- This take place in canon universe**

**\- But timeline wise, it's much earlier. Like, "societal collapse" after quirk prominence early.**

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**Chapter 1: On the Streets**

Izuku couldn't remember how he got there, but for as long as he remembered, the only source of comfort that he have is the gun and the knife that he always have with him.

In the cold winter nights spent in damp, dark alleyways, shivering through every nights with only a jacket to shield him from the cold, a ratty piece of fabric if he's lucky, both the gun and the knife would be there, a familiar cold weight pressing against his chest from within whatever cover he had. In the sweltering summer days where the only thing keeping him from dying from lack of water being dingy water bottles he salvaged from the bins or stole from unsuspecting vendors, they're always pressed against him, leaving marks on his body whenever he bothered to look.

He couldn't remember how those two weapons came to be his. Izuku was convinced that both are as long as he is, and in some strange ways, he took comfort in that idea since he didn't know how long he had been alive either. It had become a routine, for him to check if both the gun and the knife was beside him whenever he had a chance to stop and see. He had tried, once, to put them in his hideout during his daily scrounging for food and water, but he realized that he couldn't survive a day without either on his self when he continued his routine of checking for them even when he knew he didn't bring it.

For him, the gun was always the first line of defense while the knife was a second option he preferred not to have to use if he could help it. Whether it's against feral stray dogs, locked doors and gates, other people, with or without their own weapon. If anything, Izuku sometimes found solace in killing someone else with a gun, as that means free bullets for him to fish. He have always been good at noticing details, at least that's what he liked to think. He figured out how money works despite never learning to read. He figured out that some bullets work with his gun while others don't despite not knowing how it really works from watching a man lose his arm trying to shoot him with an oversized bullet. He figured out how to kill someone the best with just a shot or a stab, even when he have no quirk to give himself a better chance.

Personally, he had lost count how many times he had shot and stabbed someone. Forgot when he first killed a man. Every shot, every stab, every blood that he spilled and every person crumpling over was indistinguishable for him. Every other street rat and thugs always saw him, small and fragile, as an easy target until he prove them otherwise, quirk or no quirk.

That is, until he met Katsuki.

Katsuki prides himself on being strong, smart, and nimble. All of those qualities that every street rat just like him wished they could have. But one thing he knew was that no matter how strong, smart, and fast he was, it's _never _enough. And days like these seemed to take pleasure in reminding him of that fact.

Glaring hatefully at the two sneering man towering above him, Katsuki especially glared at the metal bat in one of the man's hand, dripping with Katsuki's blood. He held his bruised stomach as he crouches down on the still wet ground, feeling the warmth of his blood on his arms as he coughed. The other man held a cigarette in his mouth, its smoke filling the dark, damp corner they had drove Katsuki into. Or perhaps, more accurately, _found _Katsuki in.

He cursed himself for carelessly letting his guard down, thinking that the two fuckers that he pickpocketed from wouldn't notice. Thinking that he's safe enough to not look around and realized he had just literally walked himself into a fucking corner. He winced as the man with the cigarette grabbed him by the hair and lifted him.

"Kill the damn brat." The man with the cigarette ordered, turning to force Katsuki to face the other man, much to the annoyance of said other man.

"Aw man, and I thought I got to have a bit more fun with the brat." The man with the bat complained but lifted his bat anyway, ready to strike. "But anyway…"

Out of desperation, Katsuki lifted his right arm, grabbed the cigarette men's arm with his hand and set off the biggest explosion he could muster with the little energy he have left. One that didn't affect the man at all, as revealed by the metallic shine that the man's arm have once the smoke cleared. Annoyed by his action, the man kicked him on the stomach, causing Katsuki to choke on his own blood and bile.

"That was my favorite shirt, you shitty brat!" The man yelled, rising his hand to deliver another blow to Katsuki's already battered body.

Despite his pride, Katsuki shut his eyes in fear, waiting for the incoming waves of pain. But then a very loud sound pierced his ear. One louder and faster than his own explosion. Then suddenly, he could feel the head-splitting pain that he felt from being held by his hair disappeared and his knees hit the ground unceremoniously before the rest of his body follow, falling with a thud.

The enraged shout of the man with bat followed the brief silence, before he too was silenced and crumpled onto the ground, blood oozing from his head. Katsuki scrambled with what little energy he have to avoid the forming pool of blood around him, every inch of his body protesting at his attempts to move. Forcing himself to move, he lifted his head to see where all that came from.

Standing not far from him was a small figure with messy green hair, a smoking gun in hand, and large, empty eyes.

"Ow, fuck!" The blond boy hissed as Izuku ripped off the bloody bandage off the blond boy's arm. In just a short amount of time, less than two hours if the clock on the nearby table was to be trusted, he had already bled through two bandages and render them not usable anymore. For one, Izuku was just glad that he wasn't going through his own supply of medical kits.

The blond boy hadn't introduce himself yet, and neither did Izuku. So far, the only thing that the boy had said were a mixture of varying curses and mumbles of directions where Izuku should take him to. To be honest, Izuku had no idea why he was there, nor did he know why his first instinct when he saw the blond boy is to pull out his gun and shoot the two towering adults in the head. All he knew was there was something about the way those two men held the other boy by the hair, the splatters of blood on the ground, the bat, and on the blonde boy himself that made him feel _something_. That something translated into taking his gun out and pulling its trigger, twice, apparently.

Izuku had been observing the other boy for the entire time he was there, since the other boy had instructed, _demanded_, for him to bring him to his hideout. Izuku certainly feel that the blond boy's hideout was much more decent than his own. It wasn't much, just a small and well-hidden place, covered in cobwebs with various supplies such as canned food, blankets, some jacket with probably money inside, medical supplies, and bullets but no guns (Which seemed to fit with his gun just fine, Izuku wondered if he could take some if he ask). Above all, the roof was solid and the room dry, which was already more than Izuku can say about his own.

All that was to say that the other boy probably have it more together than him, at least street survival wise. Not to mention the other boy was taller than him, fuller in places where Izuku barely had any, and as he had saw previously, the blond boy have a quirk, a quite strong one too. By all means, there wasn't really much need for Izuku to stay around even under the pretense of helping him.

Izuku really didn't know why he couldn't just leave, nor did he know why the other boy haven't told him to leave.

"Oi, shitface." The other boy called after a long stretch of silence. Izuku turned to face him, a slightly confused expression on his face. "Yes, I'm talking to you, you idiot. I'm not fucking delusional to be talking to air."

Izuku didn't give any reply, waiting for the other boy to continue. "The name is Katsuki. Katsuki Bakugou. What's yours?"

"Izuku. Izuku Midoriya." Izuku replied quietly, talking for the first time ever since the two met. He then confusedly at the Katsuki's outstretched hand, then at Katsuki's increasingly irate expression.

"Fuck off, you never had handshakes before?"

"No."

Katsuki made a face before practically yanking Izuku's right hand with his own and squeezed. Izuku felt some sort of warmth, one that he never felt before, from Katsuki's hand and found himself slightly disappointed when Katsuki let go.

Izuku didn't think that he could remembered a time when the hand he hold wasn't cold, mostly because they're dead. Katsuki was the first live person whose hands he touched in a very long time. He was then reminded of his gun and knife, putting his hand in his jacket just to confirm they're still there, dropped his hand, and then he waited.

It took Katsuki some time to realize that Izuku would do anything that he told him to, and god did Katsuki love the feeling of power that come with it.

He first noticed it when he was using a half-broken comb to brush out whatever shit have gotten to his hair that day. Izuku had been sitting still, just staring at the corner of the hideout where there's nothing in particular and Katsuki noticed that the other boy looked _filthy_, like he had never even seen a soap for his entire life. Not that Katsuki was all that much better in that department or can do much about it either since his hideout have no access to running water and he mostly relies on public restroom which itself was only reliable half the time. Still, he gotta do something.

Checking if he still have the scissor he stole a while back, Katsuki nodded in satisfaction when he found it easily.

"Oi, Deku!" Katsuki called. "Come over here, I'm gonna make you look less like the side street trash bag you are."

While neither of them could really read or write, they knew a little bit about how to read and write their own name. Katsuki personally found that there's some comfort in that and also humor, as he would later found from seeing Izuku fumbles with writing his name. Since Izuku was a mouthful, Katsuki settled with Deku while Izuku had settled with "Kacchan" which Katsuki found to be strangely cutesy but he himself doesn't really mind.

After he called him over, Izuku immediate got on his feet, crossed the room, and sat down in front of Katsuki. All done in a very efficient, fluid, and almost robotic manner. Then he took off his jacket, used it as a cushion of sort for where he sat, then set both his gun and knife on his lap.

Katsuki blinked.

He could tell Izuku to go out and scout, telling him to return in an exact time and he would return with the information he wanted not a second late. He could send him off with a list of items to steal, and Izuku would return with boxes and boxes filled with the things he listed even in the middle of a snowstorm. Katsuki could just tell him to stand in the corner and wait for him and Izuku would do just that, waiting patiently for Katsuki's next command.

Katsuki could even tell him where and who to shoot and Izuku would oblige without a second of hesitation.

Katsuki knew that he himself was strong, probably stronger than Izuku physically and he also have a quirk he knew was powerful, as he had previously destroyed an entire building with it (At the cost of not being able to use his right arm for an entire week) and killed people with it, but it's _loud_, something that a street rat like him couldn't afford to be to survive. He's quick with his hand and even quicker with his feet. But he also knew that he's _vulnerable_. His hand would shake every time even the smallest sliver of doubt entered his mind, paralyzing him at times he couldn't afford to slow down at all. He's paranoid, every creaks and groans that came from the exit keeping him awake at night.

Izuku had none of those flaws. His voice, small and soft it might be, was always clear. His hands never wavered no matter how big his opponent is, no matter how much the person lying on the other end of his gun towers over him. And for whatever reason, he followed every single word that Katsuki said down to the letter.

Sometimes Izuku would return covered in scrapes and dirt and blood, and Katsuki would snidely ask him if he's slipping up. But deep down, Katsuki convinced himself that Izuku would tell him, would say something if he couldn't do something, he'd stop. Izuku can take the injuries and the pain. And with him out doing the dangerous things, Katsuki stay in, sell things, case houses, and other things that would help make their life better (And he hates to admit it, but with Izuku around, he's less afraid, now that he no longer have to steal and scrounge alone, always vulnerable from surprise attacks whenever he drop his guard even for just a little).

For the first time, Katsuki have power and could use it with impunity and he _love _it.

Izuku liked to be with Katsuki. Sure, Katsuki gave him a lot of work to do and many of them quite hard, but Katsuki looked after him. Behind every curse words and insults, there's careful hands taking care of his injuries.

He liked the quiet moments they have together, when they both can simply relax. Izuku never relaxed before he met Katsuki, always looking over his back and around him, looking out for threats against him. But above all, being with Katsuki made him feel _safe_. The old, dirty walls that surround them felt thicker than anything else, giving him warmth and dryness that he seldom have before meeting Katsuki, the white sounds coming from outside lulling him to sleep.

He liked to lay on top of empty skyscrapers with Katsuki, staring up the starry night sky. He liked to hear the beating of Katsuki's heart as they slept after a long day. He liked the feeling of Katsuki's hands on his hair and the softness that he felt from putting his own hand on Katsuki's hair. He liked the boisterous gestures that Katsuki made whenever he boasted about something. If there's one thing that Izuku liked the most was the crackle and pop that Katsuki's explosion made, the sound that he thought fits Katsuki perfectly. Strong, loud, yet calming at the same time, at least for him.

Every time Izuku came back to Katsuki's hideout, something in his chest loosen in a place which he later learned to be where his heart is, giving him a feeling of strange comfort. He liked it too.

It was supposed to be just another simple raid on the richer district of Tokyo. Break in to houses, grab some stuff for him to pawn off later, then run away. For the most part, things went well. The locks were easily picked off, the security was pathetic, and it wouldn't take even five minutes before he was already out of each house, a large grin on his face and a ratty sack filled with jewelries and other valuables over his shoulder.

He hopped over some fences, crossed a railway, and quickly run into an alley toward where he and Izuku was supposed to meet. Instead of his freckled, green haired partner-in-crime, however, what greeted him was a rough hand grabbing the back of his shirt and yanked him straight to the ground. He could the sneering and chuckling coming from above him and made out two humanoid yet not fully human shapes.

Letting the sack of valuables on the ground, Katsuki gave a hard kick to the one holding him by his shirt, successfully making them to let him go. Getting up to his feet, Katsuki let some crackles set off on his palm and bared his teeth, challenging the two to come at him. He was grateful for the dark, as otherwise his opponents would have easily saw his trembling feet and unsure eyes. With great annoyance, Katsuki realized that letting Izuku take care of the dangerous thing probably made his own anxieties _worse _once he's the one in danger.

Then Katsuki felt there's something wrong, as neither of the two moved at all. He's not stupid enough to believe that they're intimidated by a barely pubescent boy, and a shifting shadow behind him warned him of danger. He quickly dodged what turned out to be a tail attack, which now that Katsuki looked closely, all three of his attackers had. Half-reptiles, Katsuki realized, which was bad for him as they tend to have tough scales that made his quirk less affective.

Izuku was nowhere to be seen yet, however, and he couldn't risk attracting any attention. Not with an entire bag of stolen stuff was with him. So he had no choice but to fight, and fight he did. Pushing down his anxieties, Katsuki launched himself toward them, explosion on the ready.

Ten minutes later, what he got was one charred half-human half-lizard laying on the ground, dead, while the other two had him pinned down to the ground. The only bright spot was that Izuku had finally come around.

"Deku! Get here and kill these bastards!" Katsuki called out harshly before a rough hand wrapped around his neck and began tightening around it, choking him. He immediately struggled and kicked to no avail.

Katsuki could feel his vision dimming as the pressure around his throat tightened with every passing second and watched as Izuku ran toward him. But the other man, the one not choking Katsuki, already moved quickly and slammed his shoulder onto Izuku's head, causing the green haired boy to fell down to the ground with a thud.

A strangled cry escaped Katsuki's mouth as he watched Izuku fell, his kicking and squirming becoming more erratic. Activating his quirk, Katsuki set off explosions on both his palms gripping the man's arm, causing the lizard man to hiss in pain but not let go.

Izuku didn't get up, and Katsuki began to see black spots in his visions.

Izuku didn't get up, and Katsuki felt the grip around his neck got somehow even tighter, the lizard's man putrid breath blowing straight to Katsuki's face.

Izuku didn't get up. Katsuki felt his chest and lungs burning, his eyes watering, ears pounding, and the blood on his face desperately trying to find a way through the iron collar around his neck. His hands fell to his side and with every blackening spot in his vision, Katsuki realized that he's going to die.

Then Izuku got up. His green eyes colder and darker than it have ever been, an air of coldness rolling off his entire being as he got on his feet. Katsuki could barely see when Izuku reached to his jacket to pull something out before he passed out.

When Katsuki came to be, the first thing that he saw was a dark, pitch black night sky, smoggy and stale, every breath he took in hurting his throat. But he's still breathing, and he's still alive. So he tried to get up.

He saw Izuku propped against a nearby dumpster, the gun cradled on his lap and the knife, its blade crimson red, just beside him. Katsuki looked around despite his neck protesting and saw that none of the bodies were there. The sack of valuables, both his and Izuku's laying innocently not far from Izuku, and streaks of blood painting the area, one of such streaks still fresh and leading straight to where Izuku sat.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit." Katsuki cursed under his breath, crawling toward Izuku despite every single part of his body sending stabs to his senses as a response to his movements. He could see the blood dripping from Izuku's head and sat up, tearing off a part of shirt and looked for the wettest patch of Izuku's hair.

Clumsily, he wrapped the fabric around a part of Izuku's head where he thought the bleeding came from. "Fuck."

Izuku didn't move at all, waiting patiently for Katsuki to finish.

"Kacchan, I got the bags." Izuku said once Katsuki was finished, pulling back his now black and sticky hand. They made eye contacts.

Katsuki swallowed, guilt suddenly invading every single cells of his body. Izuku's shirt was shredded, his jacket long discarded, and he could see blood covering every single part not covered by the shirt. If it wasn't covered by blood, then it's bruises. His lip was cut, and the areas around his right eyes were black.

"Fuck, fuck, what kind of bastard am I?!" Katsuki growled to himself, his eyes watering. What the fuck had he do? What the fuck had he _made _Izuku do?

Izuku's expression shifted to a frown. "Kacchan, it's fine-"

"It's not fucking fine you shitface!" Katsuki yelled out hoarsely, his hand moving to grip Izuku's shoulder desperately. "I-I-"

Katsuki was crying, suddenly struck with endless questions. He watched the tiny scars covering Izuku's hand, remembering that just two weeks previously one of Izuku's fingers had been broken. How many times had he sent out Izuku to do dangerous things? How many times had Izuku been injured carrying out his selfish orders?

"Fuck." Katsuki croaked out, burying his damp face into his arms. "I'm so sorry."

"T-This is my fault." He muttered.

"I'm alright." Izuku tried. "It's-"

"No!" Katsuki lifted his head, shaking it. "This is my fault.I-I was the one who called you to help me. Y-you should have run."

Taking in shaky breaths, Katsuki desperately tried to wipe off the tears of his face to no avail. He couldn't even bear to look at Izuku lest he was reminded of his selfishness. "I-I never thought about you. How you feel, o-or what you wanted."

And then there was silence. Seconds passed, and slowly, Katsuki began to get past the massive ball of guilt and tries to make eye contact with Izuku again.

"Kacchan, I don't mind doing the things you tell me to." Izuku finally said, breaking the silence. "You look after me, let me live in your place, eat your food. Of course I should do as you say."

It was meant to be comforting, but it only make Katsuki felt even worse about himself and hot tears threaten to slip out his eyes again as the words pressed on him, heavier than anything he had ever felt. God, he _fucked up_.

"No, fuck-" Katsuki choked out. "I've been fucking selfish, I never think about you!"

"But you don't have to." Izuku said plainly as if it's something a matter-of-fact, send chills down Katsuki's spine. "I'll do it anyway."

"That's the fucking problem!" Katsuki shouted, and for the first time, Izuku flinched. Seeing that, something bubbles up within Katsuki's chest, threatening to burst out.

"I shouldn't have been such a fucking asshole. I should have been talking to you, making sure you're fine and look after your back." He swallowed then continued. "I-I was a fucking coward and an idiot. You saved my life when we first met and I've done nothing but treat you like trash since then."

"Shit." Katsuki cursed. "How the fuck are you still with me? Haven't I made you hate me already?!"

There was no longer anything holding his tears back as it flowed freely. There, he laid bare all his faults, all his anxieties and insecurities, all the feelings of guilt that he pressed down every time his conscience told him that he's doing Izuku wrong. He chokes and hiccupped uncontrollably, no longer feeling like he deserve to even put up an ounce of dignity in front of Izuku.

"I don't hate you." Izuku said quietly. "And I want to be useful, for you."

It takes a few minutes before Katsuki calmed down enough to stop the choking and hiccups and another few minutes for him to gather up the courage to look at Izuku in the eyes again. "I-I've done a lot of shitty things to you. You've been much more useful than I ever was ever since we met, I've just been taking advantage of you. And you don't even know it."

Izuku was sorting through the information in his head and nodded his head slightly, a trail of red coming down his head as he did. Katsuki took it as a sign to continue.

"I-I don't deserve to even ask you to stay, let alone force you." He said. "I just want you to know, t-that I've done shitty things to you, and I deserve to be hated for it. A-and that you can leave, if you no longer want to be with me."

"I want to stay." Izuku said and Katsuki's eyes widened. "I like being with you. Thank you for telling me, I… I don't know that it's wrong. But you tell me, and I want to stay."

"Fuck-" Katsuki was at loss of word as relief flooded over him, as if healing his still burning lung and aching muscles, tears threating to come out his eyes again. "I promise I'll treat you better."

"Okay."

"I promise I'll talk with you more from now on, make sure you're okay with everything."

"Okay."

"And you can talk to me too, tell me if you have something to say."

"Okay."

Katsuki then wrapped his arms around Izuku and pulled him into a hug, burying his face to Izuku's shoulder. "Thank you, you-you're very important to me."

Izuku liked the feeling he got when Katsuki wrapped around him and told him he's important. And when Katsuki broke off the hug, he saw Izuku's lips curled upward to the first smile that he had ever made.

"You're very important to me too, Kacchan."

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**A/N: Thanks for reading this! If you like it, give it fav & follow and comment, and I'm working on the next chapter so it can be uploaded as soon as possible. Cheers!**


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